Actor Ethan Hawke doesn’t much respect the Oscar Awards, calling them “fake” and “destructive” in a recent interview.
We’re mere days away from the film industry’s biggest awards show , but one critically-acclaimed actor might be throwing away his invitation. Ethan Hawke, himself a two-time Oscar nominee for 2001’s Training Day and 2004’s Before Sunset , thinks that the Academy Awards are harmful to his industry because they encourage a competitive culture.
“People want to turn everything in this country into a competition. It’s clear who the winner is and who the loser is. It’s why they like to announce the grosses of movies, because it’s a way of saying, ‘This one is No. 1.’ It’s so asinine,” Hawke said in an interview with Gotham magazine , per MSN .
Hawke also thinks that the awards themselves have very little value because they’ve been given to so many “stupid movies” and “mediocre performers” throughout the years.
“If you look at how many forgettable, stupid movies have won Oscars and how many mediocre performers have Oscars above their fireplace. Making a priority of chasing these fake carrots and money and dubious accolades, I think it’s really destructive,” he said.
The Hollywood Reporter points out that Hawke is hardly alone in his Oscar criticism. The Master best-actor nominee Joaquin Phoenix also doesn’t think too highly of the Oscars, calling award season “total utter bullsh**” in a recent interview.
What do you think of the Oscars? Does Ethan Hawke have a point?
